Mark 12
12
God Sends His Son
1Jesus used stories to teach the people. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress. Then he built a tower. He leased the vineyard to some farmers and left for a trip. 2Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3But the farmers grabbed the servant and beat him. They sent him away with nothing. 4Then the man sent another servant. They hit him on the head and showed no respect for him. 5So the man sent another servant. They killed this servant. The man sent many other servants. The farmers beat some of them and killed others.
6“The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘The farmers will respect my son.’
7“But they said to each other, ‘This is the owner’s son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, then it will be ours.’ 8So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9“So what will the man who owns the vineyard do? He will go to the vineyard and kill those farmers. Then he will give the vineyard to other farmers. 10Surely you have read this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders did not want
became the cornerstone.
11The Lord did this,
and it is wonderful to us.’” Psalm 118:22-23
12The Jewish leaders knew that the story was about them. So they wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.
The Leaders Try to Trap Jesus
13Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and some men from the group called Herodians# A political group that followed Herod and his family. to Jesus. They wanted to catch Jesus saying something wrong. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you. All men are the same to you. And you teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them, or not?”
15But Jesus knew what these men were really trying to do. He said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a silver coin. Let me see it.” 16They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose picture is on the coin? And whose name is written on it?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.”
17Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. And give to God the things that are God’s.” The men were amazed at what Jesus said.
Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus
18Then some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no person will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. 19They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that a man’s brother might die. He leaves a wife but no children. Then that man must marry the widow and have children for the dead brother. 20There were seven brothers. The first brother married but died. He had no children. 21So the second brother married the widow. But he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22All seven brothers married her and died. None of the brothers had any children. The woman was last to die. 23But all seven brothers had married her. So at the time people rise from death, whose wife will the woman be?”
24Jesus answered, “Why did you make this mistake? Is it because you don’t know what the Scriptures say? Or is it because you don’t know about the power of God? 25When people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other but will be like angels in heaven. 26Surely you have read what God said about people rising from death. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush,# Read Exodus 3:1–12 in the Old Testament. it says that God told Moses this: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’# Quotation from Exodus 3:6. 27God is the God of living people, not dead people. You Sadducees are wrong!”
The Most Important Command
28One of the teachers of the law came to Jesus. He heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”
29Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God, he is the only Lord. 30Love the Lord your God. Love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’# Quotation from Deuteronomy 6:4–5. 31The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’# Quotation from Leviticus 19:18. These two commands are the most important commands.”
32The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said these things. God is the only Lord, and there is no other God besides him. 33One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”
34Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely. So Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.
35Jesus was teaching in the Temple. He asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? 36David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit by me at my right side,
until I put your enemies under your control.’ Psalm 110:1
37David himself calls the Christ ‘Lord.’ So how can the Christ be David’s son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.
38Jesus continued teaching. He said, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. 39They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. And they love to have the most important seats at the feasts. 40They cheat widows and steal their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. God will punish these people terribly.”
True Giving
41Jesus sat near the Temple money box where people put their gifts. He watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. 42Then a poor widow came and gave two very small copper coins. These coins were not worth even a penny.
43Jesus called his followers to him. He said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people. 44The rich have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”
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Mark 12: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Mark 12
12
1 And he began to speak to them in parables: "A man dug a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a pit, and built a tower, and he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out on a long journey.
2 And in time, he sent a servant to the farmers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers.
3 But they, having apprehended him, beat him and sent him away empty.
4 And again, he sent another servant to them. And they wounded him on the head, and they treated him with contempt.
5 And again, he sent another, and him they killed, and many others: some they beat, but others they killed.
6 Therefore, having still one son, most dear to him, he sent him also to them, at the very end, saying, 'For they will reverence my son.'
7 But the settlers said one to another: 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him. And then the inheritance will be ours.'
8 And apprehending him, they killed him. And they cast him out of the vineyard.
9 Therefore, what will the lord of the vineyard do?" "He will come and destroy the settlers. And he will give the vineyard to others."
10 "And so, have you not read this scripture?: 'The stone which the builders have rejected, the same has been made the head of the corner.
11 By the Lord has this been done, and it is wondrous in our eyes.' "
12 And they sought to take hold of him, but they feared the crowd. For they knew that he had spoken this parable about them. And leaving him behind, they went away.
13 And they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to him, so that they might trap him with words.
14 And these, arriving, said to him: "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you do not favor anyone; for you do not consider the appearance of men, but you teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give the tribute to Caesar, or should we not give it?"
15 And knowing their skill in deception, he said to them: "Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, so that I may see it."
16 And they brought it to him. And he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's."
17 So in response, Jesus said to them, "Then render to Caesar, the things that are of Caesar; and to God, the things that are of God." And they wondered over him.
18 And the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him, saying:
19 "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if any man's brother will have died and left behind a wife, and not have left behind sons, his brother should take his wife to himself and should raise up offspring for his brother.
20 So then, there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and he died without leaving behind offspring.
21 And the second took her, and he died. And neither did he leave behind offspring. And the third acted similarly.
22 And in like manner, each of the seven received her and did not leave behind offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.
23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they will rise again, to which of them will she be a wife? For each of the seven had her as wife."
24 And Jesus responded by saying to them: "But have you not gone astray, by knowing neither the scriptures, nor the power of God?
25 For when they will be resurrected from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, but they are like the Angels in heaven.
26 But concerning the dead who rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him from the bush, saying: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?'
27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Therefore, you have gone far astray."
28 And one of the scribes, who had heard them arguing, drew near to him. And seeing that he had answered them well, he questioned him as to which was the first commandment of all.
29 And Jesus answered him: "For the first commandment of all is this: 'Listen, O Israel. The Lord your God is one God.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength. This is the first commandment.'
31 But the second is similar to it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
32 And the scribe said to him: Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth that there is one God, and there is no other beside him;
33 and that he should be loved from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength. And to love one's neighbor as one's self is greater than all holocausts and sacrifices."
34 And Jesus, seeing that he had responded wisely, said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to question him.
35 And while teaching in the temple, Jesus said in answer: "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?
36 For David himself said in the Holy Spirit: 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I set your enemies as your footstool.'
37 Therefore, David himself calls him Lord, and so how can he be his son?" And a great multitude listened to him willingly.
38 And he said to them in his doctrine: "Beware of the scribes, who prefer to walk in long robes and to be greeted in the marketplace,
39 and to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues, and to have the first seats at feasts,
40 who devour the houses of widows under the pretense of long prayers. These shall receive the more extensive judgment."
41 And Jesus, sitting opposite the offertory box, considered the way in which the crowd cast coins into the offertory, and that many of the wealthy cast in a great deal.
42 But when one poor widow had arrived, she put in two small coins, which is a quarter.
43 And calling together his disciples, he said to them: "Amen I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all those who contributed to the offertory.
44 For they all gave from their abundance, yet truly, she gave from her scarcity, even all that she had, her entire living."
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